Find out how popular the last name Rivera García is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rivera García.

Rivera García, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rivera García surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rivera García in America

Rivera García is the 47614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rivera García surname appeared 445 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rivera García.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rivera García to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rivera García

The surname RIVERAGARCIA is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of Castile and Andalusia during the medieval era. It is a compound surname, formed by the combination of two distinct family names: Rivera and Garcia.

Rivera is a toponymic surname, derived from the Spanish word "ribera," meaning "riverbank" or "riverside." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely associated with settlements or landholdings situated along the banks of a river. Garcia, on the other hand, is a patronymic surname, originating from the Germanic personal name "Garcias," which itself derives from the Visigothic name "Gartia."

Historical records reveal instances of individuals bearing the surname Rivera dating back to the 12th century. One notable mention is found in the Cartulario de Arlanza, a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, which documents a certain Rodrigo de Rivera in the year 1187. The Garcia surname, meanwhile, has an even longer documented history, with references appearing in records as early as the 9th century.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the combined surname RIVERAGARCIA is Diego Rivera Garcia, a prominent landowner and military leader from Seville, who participated in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors in the 13th century. Another notable figure is Beatriz Rivera Garcia (1490-1562), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of Renaissance painters and sculptors.

In the realm of literature, the name RIVERAGARCIA is associated with Miguel Rivera Garcia (1605-1673), a renowned Spanish playwright and poet from Madrid, whose works contributed significantly to the Golden Age of Spanish theater. Additionally, the surname is linked to Juan Rivera Garcia (1770-1844), a Spanish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in the Americas and contributed to the documentation of numerous plant species.

Venturing into more recent history, Pedro Rivera Garcia (1832-1902) was a prominent Spanish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1899 to 1900. Lastly, María Rivera Garcia (1925-2010) was a celebrated Spanish dancer and choreographer, renowned for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Spanish dance forms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rivera García

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rivera García.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rivera García was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rivera García has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rivera García was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rivera García, please contact us.

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